Sheet feeding apparatus



Nov. 16, 1965 c. H. HARBISON 3,218,060

SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS Filed March 2'7, 1963 INVENTOR.

Charles H Harbison W (at, H w

Affomeys 3,218,060 SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS Charles H. Harbison, 582134th St. N., Birmingham, Ala. Filed Mar. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 268,298 7Claims. (Cl. 271-4) This invention relates to sheet feeding apparatusand more particularly to such apparatus which shall be adapted forfeeding sheets of flexible material singly and successively at spacedintervals from a plurality thereof in stacked formation.

An object of my invention is to provide sheet feeding apparatus of thecharacter designated which shall be adapted to feed automatically sheetsof flexible material upon demand, whereby the apparatus is particularlyadapted for feeding forms, envelopes, printed matter and the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide sheet feeding apparatus ofthe character designated which shall be adapted to receive individualsheets from either top feed units or bottom feed units.

Another object of my invention is to provide sheet feeding apparatus ofthe character designated which shall align the sheets of material bothaccurately and positively for subsequent operations, such as printingand the like, whereby such subsequent operations may be carried outWhile the sheets of material are within my improved apparatus, thuseliminating the necessity of having to stop the operation and align thesheets of material before subsequent operations.

Another object of my invention is to provide sheet feeding apparatus ofthe character designated which shall be trouble free in operation andone in which there are no cumulative errors due to the fact that uponinterruption of the dispensing of sheets of material, the operation ofthe apparatus is stopped immediately at that point.

A further object of my invention is to provide sheet feeding apparatusof the character designated which shall be compact whereby the apparatusrequires a minimum of space.

A further object of my invention is to provide sheet feeding apparatuswhich shall be adapted for mechanical operation throughout or may embodya minimum of electrically operated components.

A still further object of my invention is to provide sheet feedingapparatus which shall be simple of construction, economical ofmanufacture and one which may be timed to suit any feed requirementswith a minimum of effort and one which requires a minimum of maintenancefor satisfactory operation of the apparatus at all times.

Heretofore, in the art to which my invention relates, various forms ofdemand feeders for dispensing sheets of material have been proposed.However, such feeders have required considerable maintenance to assuresatisfactory operation thereof and cumulative troubles are encountered.

To overcome the above and other difficulties, I provide sheet feedingapparatus which may be completely mechanical in operation and one whichfeeds a single sheet of material on demand whereby the sheets are fedsingly and successively at predetermined spaced intervals from a stackthereof. To provide positive and trouble-free operation of theapparatus, I employ feed mechanism in which the sheet literally feedsitself. That is to say, the sheet of material being fed through theapparatus actually forms a part of the feed mechanism whereby certaincomponents of my apparatus will not operate in the absence of a sheet ofmaterial.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the apparatus at rest;

States Patent FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a sheet of materialbeing fed through the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the apparatus immediately after asheet of material has been dispensed therefrom; and,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmental view, partly broken away and insection, taken generally along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of my invention,I show a plurality of sheets of material 10 arranged in stackedformation adjacent a driven feed unit indicated generally at 11, whichmay be any conventional type friction driven feed unit for deliveringsheets in succession from the source of supply. In the drawing, I showthe feed unit as comprising an upper separator roll 12 and a lower feedroll 13. An annular recess 14 is provided in the lower feed roll 13 forreceiving a flexible drive member, such as a belt 16.

Mounted in spaced relation to the feed rolls 12 and 13 is a drive shaft17. Mounted for free rotation on the drive shaft 17 is an idler roll 18having a reduced diameter central portion to provide an annular groove19 for receiving the flexible drive member 16, as shown in FIG. 4.Preferably, the outer surface of the idler roll 18 at opposite sides ofthe annular groove 19 is covered by a suitable resilient material 21,such as rubber or the like.

Mounted for rotation with the drive shaft 17 at opposite sides of theidler roll 18 are rollers 22 which are secured to the shaft 17 bysuitable means, such as set screws 23. The outer surface of each roll 22is covered with a resili nt material 24, such as rubber or the like. Itwill thus be seen that the axially spaced rolls 22 rotate with the shaft17 as it is driven from a suitable source of power, not shown, while theidler roll 18 is adapted for independent rotation relative to the shaft17.

Mounted for rotation on a shaft 26 at one side of the rolls 22 and idlerroll 18 is a roll 27 which extends from one roll 22 to the other roll22, as shown in FIG. 4. The roll 27 is provided with reduced diameterportions opposite the enlarged diameter portions of the idler roll 18covered by the resilient material 21 to provide annular recesses 28,whereby the idler roll 18 is closely spaced relative to the roll 27 andis still adapted for free rotation relative thereto so long as there isno sheet of material interposed between the idler roll 18 and the feedroll 27. As shown in FIG. 4, the outer surface of the feed roll 27 iscoated by a suitable resilient material 29, such as rubber or the like.

Mounted for rotation at the opposite side of the rolls 22 and idler roll18 from the feed roll 27 is another feed roll 31 which is supported by ashaft 32. It will be apparent that the shafts 26 and 32 are supported bysuitable bearing members, not shown, in a manner well understood in theart. The roll 31 is also provided with reduced diameter portions toprovide annular recesses 33 opposite the larger diameter portions of theidler roll 18 whereby the idler roll is closely spaced relative to thefeed roll 31 and still rotates freely relative thereto so long as thereis no sheet of material between the idler roll 18 and the feed roll 31.The outer surface of the feed roll 31 is also covered by a suitableresilient material 34, such as rubber or the like.

Mounted adjacent the delivery side of the rolls 22 and 27 is a sheetreceiving unit indicated generally at 36. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, anactuating member 37 projects upwardly through suitable slots 38 providedin the sheet receiving unit 36 to define a stop for the individualsheets of material 10 fed therein and also to provide means for moving asheet of material forwardly between the subjacent pair of rolls 22 and31. The actuating member 37 is mounted for pivotal movement as at 39 andmay be moved about its pivot point by suitable means, such as a solenoid41. While I have shown the actuating member 37 as being actuated by asolenoid, it will be apparent that other suitable means may be employed,such as a cam member or the like. That is to say, any suitable means maybe employed for moving the sheet of material forward between the rolls22 and 31 after it has been deposited in the sheet receiving unit 36.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my improved sheetfeeding apparatus will be readily understood. The individual sheets ofmaterial It!) assume the position shown in FIG. 1 while the apparatus isat rest. To dispense a sheet if], the actuating member 37 is movedtoward the rollers 22 and 31 whereby the leading edge of the sheet 16within the sheet receiving unit 36 moves into engagement with the rolls22 and 31 whereupon the sheet is pulled between the rolls 22 and theroll 31 by the frictional engagement of the resilient surfaces 24 and34. As the sheet 10 passes between the rollers 22 and 31, the sheet 10also engages the idler roll 18, thereby imparting rotary motion to theidler roll. That is, one side of the sheet of material it) engages theresilient surface 21 of the idler roll 18 while the other surfacethereof engages the resilient surfaces 34 of the roll 31 whereby apositive drive is provided between the idler roll and the roll 31 solong as a sheet of material 10 is being fed therebetween. Upon rotationof the idler roll 13, the flexible drive member 16 drives the lower feedroll 13 of the feed unit 11 whereby another sheet of material 10 is fedbetween the rolls 22 and 27, as shown in FIG. 2.

After the lowermost sheet of material 10 has passed from between therolls 22 and 31, rotary motion is still imparted to the idler roll 18 bythe uppermost sheet of material 10 passing between the rolls 22 and 27.That is to say, one surface of the sheet of material 10 engages theenlarged, resilient portions 21 of the idler roll while the othersurface thereof engages the resilient portions 29 of the feed roll 27.Accordingly, the uppermost sheet of material 10 continues to drive theidler roll 18 and the feed unit 11 until the uppermost sheet of material10 has been dispensed into the sheet receiving unit as, as shown inFIG. 1. The apparatus then remains at rest until the actuating member 37is again moved toward the rollers 22 and 31 whereupon the cycle ofoperation is repeated. It will thus be seen that the cycle of operationmay be repeated at any predetermined time interval by merely controllingthe time interval that the actuating member 37 is actuated.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised improved sheetfeeding apparatus in which sheets of flexible material may be fed ondemand singly and successively at predetermined spaced intervals from astack of such sheets of material. By providing apparatus in which thesheet of material itself actually forms a part of the driving mechanism,the apparatus is positive in operation and only operates while thesheets are being fed properly through the apparatus. Also, by providinga demand feeder which may be entirely mechanical in operation, Ieliminate malfunctioning of the apparatus and the maintenance problemswhich are encountered with conventional type electrical sheet feedingapparatus. Furthermore, by providing a demand feeder which requires aminimum of moving parts and one which is positive in operation, myimproved apparatus requires a minimum of maintenance and is trouble freein operation.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall beplaced thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus for feeding sheets from a supply thereof having a drivenfeed unit for delivering said sheets in succession from said supply,

(a) a drive shaft,

(b) at least one roller mounted on said drive shaft for rotationtherewith,

(c) an idler roller mounted for free rotation on said drive shaft,

(d) a third roller mounted adjacent said one roller in position to bedriven thereby and positioned in closely spaced relation to said idlerroller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheets fromsaid feed unit to drive said idler roller by the sheets deliveredbetween said third roller and said idler roller,

(e) a sheet receiving unit mounted in position to receive the sheetsafter they pass between said third roller and said idler roller,

(f) a fourth roller mounted adjacent said one roller in position to bedriven thereby and positioned in closely spaced relation to said idlerroller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheets fromsaid sheet receiving unit to drive said idler roller by the sheetsdelivered between said fourth roller and said idler roller, and

(g) drive means operatively connecting said idler roller to said drivenfeed unit to drive said feed unit upon rotation of said idler roller.

2. Apparatus for feeding sheets as defined in claim 1 in which the meansoperatively connecting said idler roller to said driven feed unitcomprises a flexible drive member.

3. Apparatus for feeding sheets as defined in claim It in whichactuating means is associated with said sheet receiving unit to move thesheets delivered into said receiving unit between said fourth roller andsaid idler roller.

4. 1n apparatus for feeding sheets from a supply thereof having a drivenfeed unit for delivering said sheets in succession from said supply,

(a) a drive shaft,

(b) a pair of axially spaced rollers mounted on said drive shaft forrotation therewith,

(c) an idler roller mounted for free rotation on said drive shaftbetween said pair of axially spaced rollers,

(d) a first feed roller mounted adjacent said pair of axially spacedrollers and said idler roller in position to be driven by said pair ofaxially spaced rollers and positioned in closely spaced relation to saididler roller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheetsfrom said feed unit to drive said idler roller by the sheets deliveredbetween said first feed roller and said idler roller,

(e) a sheet receiving unit mounted in position to receive the sheetsafter they pass between said first feed roller and said idler roller,

(f) a second feed roller mounted adjacent said pair of axially spacedrollers and said idler roller in position to be driven by said pair ofaxially spaced rollers and positioned in closely spaced relation to saididler roller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheetsfrom said sheet receiving unit to drive said idler roller by the sheetsdelivered between said second feed roller and said idler roller, and

(g) drive means operatively connecting said idler roller to said drivenfeed unit to drive said feed unit upon rotation of said idler roller.

5. In apparatus for feeding sheets from a supply thereof having a drivenfeed unit for delivering said sheets in succession from said supply,

(a) a drive shaft,

(b) a pair of axially spaced rollers mounted on said drive shaft forrotation therewith,

(c) an idler roller mounted for free rotation on said drive sh itbetween said pair of axially spaced rollers and having an annular groovetherein,

(d) an endless flexible drive member engaging said annular groove andoperatively connecting said idler roller in driving relation with saiddriven feed unit to drive said feed unit upon rotation of said idlerroller,

(e) a first feed roller mounted adjacent said pair of axially spacedrollers and said idler roller in position to be driven by said pair ofaxially spaced rollers and positioned in closely spaced relation to saididler roller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheetsfrom said feed unit to drive said idler roller by the sheets deliveredbetween said first feed roller and said idler roller,

(f) a sheet receiving unit mounted in position to receive the sheetsafter they pass between said first feed roller and said idler roller,and

(g) a second feed roller mounted adjacent said pair of axially spacedrollers and said idler roller in position to be driven by said pair ofaxially spaced rollers and positioned in closely spaced relation to saididler roller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheetsfrom said sheet receiving unit to drive said idler roller by the sheetsdelivered between said second feed roller and said idler roller.

6. Apparatus for feeding sheets as defined in claim 5 in which saidfirst and second feed rollers are provided with enlarged diameterportions opposite and in spaced relation to the endless flexible drivemember which engages said annular groove in the idler roller.

7. In apparatus for feeding sheets of flexible material singly andsuccessively at spaced intervals from a plurality thereof in stackedformation,

(a) a driven feed unit for withdrawing single sheets from the stackedformation,

(b) a drive shaft,

(0) at least one roller mounted on said drive shaft for rotationtherewith,

(d) an idler roller mounted for free rotation on said drive shaft,

(e) a third roller mounted adjacent said one roller in position to bedriven thereby and positioned in closely spaced relation to said idlerroller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheets fromsaid feed unit to drive said idler roller by the sheets deliveredbetween said third roller and said idler roller,

(f) a sheet receiving unit mounted in position to receive the sheetsafter they pass between said third roller and said idler roller,

(g) a fourth roller mounted adjacent said one roller in position to bedriven thereby and positioned in closely spaced relation to said idlerroller and in position to receive successively therebetween sheets fromsaid sheet receiving unit to drive said idler roller by the sheetsdelivered between said fourth roller and said idler roller,

(h) drive means operatively connecting said idler roller to said drivenfeed unit to drive said feed unit upon rotation of said idler roller,

(i) actuating means associated with said sheet receiving unit to moveeach sheet delivered into said receiving unit between said fourth rollerand said idler roller, and

(j) means to actuate said actuating means at predetermined spacedintervals.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RT B, REEVES,Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, SAMUEL F. COLEMAN,

Examiners.

1. IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS FROM A SUPPLY THEREOF HAVING A DRIVENFEED UNIT FOR DELIVERING SAID SHEETS IN SUCCESSION FROM SAID SUPPLY, (A)A DRIVEN SHAFT, (B) AT LEAST ONE ROLLER MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT FORROTATION THEREWITH, (C) AN IDLER ROLLER MOUNTED FOR FREE ROTATION ONSAID DRIVEN SHAFT, (D) A THIRD ROLLER MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID ONE ROLLERIN POSITION TO BE DRIVEN THEREBY AND POSITIONED IN CLOSELY SPACEDRELATION TO SAID IDLER ROLLER AND IN POSITION TO RECEIVE SUCCESSIVELYTHEREBETWEEN SHEETS FROM SAID FEED UNIT TO DRIVE SAID IDLER ROLLER BYTHE SHEETS DELIVERED BETWEEN SAID THIRD ROLLER AND SAID IDLER ROLLER,(E) A SHEET RECEIVING UNIT MOUNTED IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE SHEETSAFTER THEY PASS BETWEEN SAID THIRD ROLLER AND SAID IDLER ROLLER, (F) AFOURTH ROLLER MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID ONE ROLLER IN POSITION TO BE DRIVENTHEREBY AND POSITIONED IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATION TO SAID IDLER ROLLERAND IN POSITION TO RECEIVE SUCCESSIVELY THEREBETWEEN SHEETS FROM SAIDSHEET RECEIVING UNIT TO DRIVE SAID IDLER ROLLER BY THE SHEETS DELIVEREDBETWEEN SAID FOURTH ROLLER AND SAID IDLER ROLLER, AND (G) DRIVE MEANSOPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID IDLER ROLLER TO SAID DRIVEN FEED UNIT TODRIVE SAID FEED UNIT UPON ROTATION OF SAID IDLER ROLLER.